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Sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, have indicated that U.S. intelligence has not discovered any evidence of Russia instructing Iran on how to utilize the gathered information.
Nevertheless, this marks the first sign that Moscow may be attempting to play a role in the conflict initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran just a week ago.
Russia is among the few nations maintaining amicable ties with Tehran, which has long been isolated because of its nuclear ambitions and its backing of proxy groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, all of which have caused significant unrest in the Middle East.
The White House has downplayed reports suggesting that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence regarding U.S. targets in the area.
Today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed reporters, stating, “This action does not appear to impact our military operations in Iran, as we are effectively dismantling them.”
Leavitt declined to say if Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the reported intelligence sharing or whether he believed Russia should face repercussions, saying she would let the president speak to that himself.
Asked whether Russia would go beyond political support and offer military assistance to Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there has been no such request from Tehran.
“We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of the Iranian leadership, and will certainly continue this dialogue,” he said.
Pushed on whether Moscow has provided any military or intelligence assistance to Tehran since the Iran war’s start, he refrained from comment.
Russia has tightened its relationship with Iran as it looked for badly needed missiles and drones to utilise in its four-year war Ukraine.
The Biden administration declassified intelligence findings that showed Iran supplies Moscow with attack drones and has assisted the Kremlin with building a drone-manufacturing factory.
The former U.S. administration also accused Iran of transferring short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Details about the U.S. intelligence were first reported by the Washington Post.
Asked whether the revelation had shaken Trump’s faith in Putin’s ability to cut any peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, Leavitt said, “I think the president would say that peace is still an achievable objective with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
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